Champions League 2012-13

[Charlie Darwin]

4-0. Mueller is Bayern's Tony Watt.

[BonnieShels]

4-0. Mueller is Bayern's Tony Watt.

You'd have to see the smile on my face over here.

[Stuttgart88]

Champions League Legitimate Goal Shocker :)

[geysir]

Excellent performance from Bayern, not even the 2 dodgy goals takes away from the 4 goal dominance.
That just about makes it evens between Barca And Bayern in the CL.

[geysir]

Typical German 80's crap pop over the sound system.
Would drive a sane man mad.
Do you really want that?

[Charlie Darwin]

Typical German 80's crap pop over the sound system.
Would drive a sane man mad.
Do you really want that?
That 80s pop crap has over 10 million hits on youtube.

[BonnieShels]

Typical German 80's crap pop over the sound system.
Would drive a sane man mad.
Do you really want that?


After watching that I would listen to it all night.

[BonnieShels]

Champions League Legitimate Goal Shocker :)

As I generally revel in any decision that goes against Barca, the officiating in the CL this year has been woejus.

[geysir]

That 80s pop crap has over 10 million hits on youtube.
That will be 9,999,000 more hits than Bayerns' goals.

[BonnieShels]

So you're upping your views to 1000?

[geysir]

Bayern fans!! who else would make up the 1,000 to have a look and obviously they have no taste considering that 80's crap euro pop Germans just love.

[Charlie Darwin]

300 views already :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agKMSZsYCuo

[BonnieShels]

Did you put all of the contents of your IceSave account on Barca tonight? You're more anti-Deutscher than normal tonight.

[geysir]

Unlike yourself Bonnie, I do not gamble under any circumstances. It's a fools game especially for those who include Shamrock Rovers on their coupon.
I can't quite grasp the concept, actually gambling money on SR and hoping they will win.

[geysir]

300 views already :)

Bonnie's 299 don't count in the real world.

[BonnieShels]

Just make your 10000th post count.

[geysir]

Just make your 10000th post count.
Eh ?? Okay i'll give you 9.999


Come on Dortmund!!
Come on Klopp!
They say Madrid have you sussed, 'say it ain't so!'
You know they think they have you sussed and you have a plan B, don't you??

[Charlie Darwin]

Unlike yourself Bonnie, I do not gamble under any circumstances. It's a fools game especially for those who include Shamrock Rovers on their coupon.
I can't quite grasp the concept, actually gambling money on SR and hoping they will win.
Luckily this season you just have to bet on a draw and it's free money.

[BonnieShels]

Luckily this season you just have to bet on a draw and it's free money.

Except when I did.

[geysir]

Luckily this season you just have to bet on a draw and it's free money.
AFAIC, a Shamrock Rover's fan would gleefully bet on them losing, if it mean't them winning a few Euros,
but for a non Shamrock Rovers fan (like Bonnie) to bet on them winning, is just ... quite frankly I have no proper words on hand to describe such an action.

But I'm sure Bonnie has been putting his money where his mouth is and has been cleaning up on Dortmund'd CL run.
But the trouble is, gamblers lie through their teeth to make out they actually win.

[BonnieShels]

AFAIC, a Shamrock Rover's fan would gleefully bet on them losing, if it mean't them winning a few Euros,
but for a non Shamrock Rovers fan (like Bonnie) to bet on them winning, is just ... quite frankly I have no proper words on hand to describe such an action.

But I'm sure Bonnie has been putting his money where his mouth is and has been cleaning up on Dortmund'd CL run.
But the trouble is, gamblers lie through their teeth to make out they actually win.

After been comprehensibly caught with my pants down last season I actively avoided betting on Dortmund this year. So far so good.

Betting against your own team is reprehensible.

[Charlie Darwin]

AFAIC, a Shamrock Rover's fan would gleefully bet on them losing, if it mean't them winning a few Euros,
I hear some of them are drawing the social welfare and aren't actively seeking work.

[geysir]

Rightfully Tito is taking a bit of a hammering about some his selections. Though injured centre halves were only a part of the problem, I think Darren O'Dea would have shown more composure than Bartra at centre half. It's a pity we didn't get a naturally fired-up Barca performance to give the tie the feel of a true battle between 2 of the best teams in European football. In the past, Barca didn't need to be fired up in order to perform, but this season is different, they totally got what they deserved last night with that limp performance and coaching decisions.
Bayern's obsessive stalking of the Barca model since they were well beaten by them in 2009, has payed off handsomely. Do they really need Pep Guardiola now? I can imagine Heynckes will have a few profile offers.

[Closed Account 2]

Whatever they teach at La Masia it certainly isn't how to defend a corner. They really need to sign some top class defenders as they are not producing them via the academy. Even the lauded defenders like Alba, Pique and Dani Alves offer more going forward than at the back, the full backs can bail themselves out with their pace against mediocre attackers, but against top class attackers they are a bit too niave. It's a strategy of pretty much playing wingers at full back (and at times midfielders as centerbacks) that invites good opposition to expose them. It works wonderfully well going forward as you have in effect an extra 3-4 midfielders so can saturate the center (middle third) of the pitch and win everything there and keep the ball easily, but it leaves them very frail defensively. They've been suspect at corners for a while, but it's not really surprising given they have a keeper who is very reluctant to get off his line for corners, a lot of short players who are suspect in the air, and no real defensive organisers except Puyol.

[Stuttgart88]

There was talk of a bid for Vincent Kompany from Barca. Would suit both parties I reckon.

[Charlie Darwin]

There's talk of Hummels going to Barca too, which I think makes more sense. He's a better footballer for a start, which would suit Barca's style more.

[Closed Account 2]

They've been linked with Thiago Silva, Kompany and Hummels. I can only see the latter as plausible, given the first two are probably already earning top dollar at clubs who are more or less assured of CL football (and should be realistic candidates for the quarters and semis at a minimum). Neither City nor PSG would have a need to sell, both have massive budgets. Kompany has a contract to 2018 and Thiago Silva to 2017 so even if they didnt renew their contracts City and PSG wouldnt have to consider bids for 3 years, if Barca want to sign them this summer I think it would take a monumental bid (north of €45m) and I dont think they have that kind of money especially if they are keen to get Neymar. Hummels's contract is to 2017 but there might be a release clause Barca could trigger (like Bayern have just done with Götze) which would take it out of Dortmunds hands, even so you would expect the release clause to be fairly high given he renewed just before Euro 2012. Dortmund might struggle to convince him to stay if they keep hemorrhaging players (like Götze, Kagawa, Lewandowski). But the usual Barca approach of hoovering up players from lesser La Liga sides and Arsenal doesnt look like it will work this time as there arent really any great out and out defenders of a decent age at those clubs.

[Charlie Darwin]

Are Dortmund any less assured of CL football than City or PSG? Even if they do haemmorhage players, they are still the financially dominant club in Germany outside of Bayern. I'd say they're all assured of CL football and, of the three, Dortmund still have the most realistic prospects for getting to finals. Get your point about wages though, I doubt Dortmund could or would compete with what's on offer elsewhere.

[Closed Account 2]

Dortmund are the second best team in Germany at the moment, and with all the player sales they should have some money to re-invest. But there are other big clubs in the country who could close the gap. HSV and Schalke regularly draw crowds as big as Dortmund and if they can recover from bad director/financial decisions they could certainly challenge Dortmund. Equally if Hertha ever sorted themselves out they have the fanbase and stadium to be a threat. Dortmund's problem is they could end up as coming across as a selling club, despite having a good financial base, simply because their best players keep leaving not for financial reasons per se but for slightly more high profile clubs (a bit like Arsenal in the last decade) it all depends on how Dortmund re-invest the Kagawa/Götze/Lewandowski money. Dortmund's current team is good enough to have a chance of the CL, but edges of the squad are a little thin and you wonder how it will pan out with the departures, whereas with City and PSG's finances you have to assume they definately will get stronger and in the long run should have as good a chance at the CL if not better.

[Charlie Darwin]

I see your point but I don't think players are looking five years down the line and wondering if their club will still be competitive. Dortmund are very competitive now and don't look like slipping from that position any time soon. I'm not entirely convinced Manchester City and PSG can rely on their revenue streams any more than Dortmund can - in fact, I think Dortmund's revenue base is far more stable than either.

Most players from City, PSG or Dortmund would jump at the chance of going to a higher-profile, higher-paying club like Real or Bayern or Barca. The only thing City and PSG have on their side is ridiculous money, whereas Dortmund can at least point to footballing pedigree.

[Charlie Darwin]

1-0 Dortmund, Lewandowski.

[BonnieShels]

The facts belie the beauty.

The was a relentless 3min before that goal.

Come on.

[Charlie Darwin]

I love the way the Germans play the game right now. They take all the pace and excitement of the English game and condense it into hundreds of intense, self-contained bursts.

[geysir]

Ich bin ein Dortmunder.

Klopp has shaved for this game, a sign of something surely?

[BonnieShels]

I completely agree. This has been why In have been frustrated by the Barca love-in the last few years. Effective yes. But it's not how I like the game to be played.

This is lovely stuff though.

The Dortmund transition from defence to attack is breathtaking.

[BonnieShels]

Ich bin ein Dortmunder.

Klopp has shaved for this game, a sign of something surely?

Welcome sir, to this evening's discussion.

[Charlie Darwin]

Wow, huge 30 seconds.

[geysir]

"Whao George, Whao" says Ray.

[BonnieShels]

JAYSUS!

Was only thinking what game Hummels was having til then.

Big call for the referee there.

Real will be delighted to head in 1-1 now.

Dortmund need to calm this down and get it in at HT.

[geysir]

Dortmund just have to win this game, doesn't matter about conceding away goals so much, methinks.

[Stuttgart88]

Penalty incident: it looked like he manufactured the contact himself, no?

Very hard one for the ref to call in real time.

[Charlie Darwin]

Penalty incident: it looked like he manufactured the contact himself, no?

Very hard one for the ref to call in real time.
Varane grabbed his shirt but there wasn't enough contact to make him go down or even put him much off his stride. I think Varane's foot did clip Reus's heel though, but again not sure if it was all that significant. I think he definitely should have stayed on his feet.

[BonnieShels]

Penalty incident: it looked like he manufactured the contact himself, no?

Very hard one for the ref to call in real time.

Looking at it in real-time the speed of Reus was gonna contribute to a tumble with the minimal of contact.

[BonnieShels]

Eamon watching a different game I think.

[Stuttgart88]

I thought Reus stuck his right foot out to make sure Varane's stride clipped him. A bit like the infamous Pires incident at Highbury years ago.

Edit: Souness agrees with me. It's a weird one, I'd have been on the refs side if he'd given it too. Dortmund need to get over it. They got lucky 2 weeks ago.

[Charlie Darwin]

I thought Reus stuck his right foot out to make sure Varane's stride clipped him. A bit like the infamous Pires incident at Highbury years ago.
I don't think so. Having seen it again, the contact actually looks heavier than I thought. It would have been very difficult for him to maintain control of the ball if he'd stayed on his feet. Penalty for me.

[geysir]

I don't think it's a penalty when the attacker clips the leg of the defender and goes down.
Bad mistake by Hummels, he had an Ambrose moment. He'll have to make sure he doesn't have another.

[Stuttgart88]

I just watched it again and Reus seemed to move his right leg a bit more to the right than his natural stride should have taken him. Souness said he was looking for it, but so what if you're looking for it? Drawing a foul is fine by me. Defender beware to a certain extent, but I'm standing by my decision that Reus made the contact more than the defender contacting him. Just about...

[Charlie Darwin]

It looks to me like he's trying to cut across the defender and gets clipped.

[geysir]

I think he should have concentrated on scoring.